Information and Resources

Stool Culture

Guide

A stool culture is done to identify bacteria
or viruses that may be causing an infection. Although more than 50 different
kinds of bacteria normally live in the
intestines, large numbers of abnormal bacteria,
viruses,
fungi, or
parasites can grow in the intestines and cause
infections and diseases.

For a stool culture, a stool sample is
collected in a clean container and placed under conditions that allow bacteria
or other organisms to grow. The type of infection is identified by noting the
appearance of the growth, by performing chemical tests on the stool sample, and
by looking at the sample under a microscope.

Depending on what
your stool is being tested for, you may only need to collect one stool sample,
or you may need several stool samples over a period of days.

Why It Is Done

A stool culture is done to:

Find the cause of symptoms, such as severe or
bloody diarrhea, an increased amount of gas, nausea, vomiting, loss of
appetite, bloating, abdominal pain and cramping, and fever, especially if you drank untreated water from a stream or lake or have been traveling outside of the country.

Find
and identify certain types of bacteria, viruses, or fungi that are
causing infections or diseases, such as
food poisoning, inflammation of the large intestine
(colitis),
cholera, and
typhoid.

Identify a person who may not
have any symptoms of disease but who carries bacteria that can spread infection
to others. This person is called a carrier. A person who is a carrier and who
handles food is likely to infect others.

Talk to your doctor
about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it
will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the
importance of this test, fill out the
medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).